Merthyr Dyfan Cemetery, Barry:

[KG]

Merthyr Dyfan Cemetery is Barry's main cemetery. It is the location of many sailors' graves and memorials; indeed, the first burial there a month after being opened in September of 1889 was that of a foreign seaman by the name of William Marra, who died when aged only 18.

Merthyr Dyfan Cemetery,
Cemetery Approach,
Barry Road,
Barry,
CF62 8BP.

Seamen who died during wartime were obviously less likely to be buried, hence the cemetery contains memorial stones as well as grave stones for seamen. In peace time however, burials were more likely. There are several sailors worthy of mention.

The Friends of Merthyr Dyfan Cemetery have produced some PDF guide booklets to the cemetery, including:

Merchant Navy - 2nd World War Tour: LINK

Servicemen - 1st World War Tour: LINK

Printed copies are also available from the Barry Council's office:

Barry Town Council,
7 Gladstone Road,
Barry,
CF62 8NA,
United Kingdom.

Phone [phone].

[BARRY (MERTHYR DYFAN)]

BARRY (MERTHYR DYFAN) BURIAL GROUND:

Historical Information

The cemetery contains war graves of both world wars, the burials of the 1914-1918 War being in various parts of the cemetery. Burials of the 1939-1945 War, 23 of which are in a group in Section R in the north-western corner of the cemetery, and the remainder are to be found elsewhere. There is a man belonging to the National Fire Service, who was buried in the group of war graves. Among the 14 men of the Merchant Navy are four Danish seamen who, with two other Danes, lost their lives in April 1942 in an explosion in the British Merchant vessel S.S. Soborg of Glasgow, in which they were serving. They are buried in the group of war graves. The body of the fifth Danish member of the crew was originally buried here but was later repatriated. The sixth body was not recovered. The names of all six are commemorated on a grey granite memorial which was erected on the empty grave of the repatriated Dane by the Danish Government, and unveiled by the Danish Ambassador in April 1948. The four graves are marked by Commission headstones.

LINK

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Danish ship Soborg:

When the SOBORG was taken over by the MOWT she was registerd with Lloyds and given an Official number ON 171315

LINK